Well, everyone is expecting me to write something about the iPad, so I
might as well oblige.
I think it's disappointing. But I don't think it's disappointing in the
same way as the authors of most of the iPad rants circulating around the
internet at the moment.
The hype leading up to the announcement reached never before seen
levels, with even the mainstream non-technical press joining in. The
fact that Apple would be launching a tablet-shaped device was one of the
worst kept secrets in IT history, leading some to probably accurately
speculate that many of the leaks from Apple were in fact intentional.
Nonetheless, everyone was sure that Apple would be imminently releasing
a tablet computer.
This is the surprising part: They were wrong.
The iPad is
not a computer. Not in the "general-purpose
computing device" that we use the word to mean today; this is why so
many people are so disappointed with what the iPad is. They were
expecting something else.
If you assume that the iPad is supposed to be a general purpose
computer, then it is, indeed, very disappointing. You can't install your
own applications except via the tightly-controlled App Store, and you
can't run more than one application at once. Want to write out an email
while you're watching a video? You can't do that - only one or the
other. You can't use it to edit your photos. You can't use it to make a
website, edit a video, or write a song.
So if you want to be able to do any of these things on the sofa, or on
the train, you'd be better off with a netbook, or even a full-sized
laptop.
But - most people don't want to do these things on the sofa, or on the
train. They have iMacs, or desktop PCs, to do those things. So what do
people want to do on the sofa, or on the train? What do people buy
netbooks for?
They browse the web. They send and receive emails. They listen to music,
watch movies, read books, and play games. And the iPad is brilliant at
these things. Better than a laptop, because for most of these things,
you don't need a keyboard, and for much of the time, a portrait
(upright) screen is actually more useful than a landscape one. You can
use the iPad in any orientation. And because the iPad is so "locked
down", you can't break it. Unlike a laptop, it will always be ready to
go, no waiting for it to boot, no updating your drivers, no viruses to
catch.
Once you get past the fact that this isn't going to replace your
full-size laptop, it is in fact a pretty amazing device. It's not
particularly expensive, you can choose to add built-in 3G and get
internet access anywhere, it's thin and light and the screen is amazing.
It looks to me like this device is perfect for (at least) two groups of
people: Students, and anyone who doesn't work in IT. It does what it
does incredibly well, and unlike a more fully featured computer, it's
nearly impossible to break it.
It is undoubtedly going to sell millions, but the question I'm being
asked more than any other is: Am I going to buy one? The answer is that
I don't know, not yet. I've just bought a new netbook, and this will be
able to do all the things I might use an iPad for, though of course in
many cases, not as well. In other cases, much better. Still, the iPad
holds appeal, and I think the final answer will depend on the as-yet
unannounced UK price.
